The Days In Between

If the first half of October in Savannah were a person, she’d be shimmying all over town with more costume changes than a Club One drag queen.

Y’all know how busy it gets the minute the heat and humidity tick down around here. Schedules get stuffed like a foie gras goose, feathers and sequins flying in the breeze as we try to dress for all of the fabulous events taking place at the same time. 

Just this past Saturday, thousands of you brought posh picnicware to Forsyth for Phil in the Park (aka “orchestral maneuvers in the dark,” where’re all my 80s kids at?) Another crowd communed uptown in Daffin Park, where the glorious greenspace filled with the pristine elegance of Le Diner en Blanc. 

Down by the river, Oktoberfest yodelers in lederhosen raised their giant beers, and royal purple frocks filled the tables at the Women of Action gala, where I ran into Mayor Van Johnson creatively economizing his time and wardrobe by wearing a classic white tuxedo to all of them.

The mayor and I scurried in late to the Civic Center, where councilwoman and indefatigable activist Linda Wilder Bryan had set a magnificent banquet to honor the women of the city’s staff, business community, non-profit sector, and local media. 

“It’s time for us to be in the same room respecting and helping each other,” admonished the Notorious LWB, resplendent in a mulberry caftan as she fluttered among her guests. “Y’all are my queens!”

For all the time I’ve spent at The Johnny lately, I never dreamed I’d get to enjoy a meal on the stage surrounded by some of Savannah’s most brilliant beauties, all regally dressed in varying shades of lilac, violet, and plum. The gorgeously genuine Renee LaSalle lobbed hilarious zingers from the mic, and I got in plenty of giggles with my tablemates, justice Judge Tammy Stokes and legal eagle Stephanie Burgess. 

Keynote speaker Audrey King, a senior VP at Georgia Power, along with gun reform icon Rev. Sharon Risher, kept us humble, reminding that the minute we put our purple dresses back in the closet, there was still plenty of work to be done.  

“I wasn’t sure I was going to make it to this event,” said King, taking a moment to exhale after hustling around the state trying to get everyone’s lights and AC back on after Hurricane Helene. 

“But it felt important to recognize the women doing so much for this community.” 

For some of us, the last week contained more opportunity to show off our fall wardrobes. Our family—including the Augusta contingency swept in by the storm—gussied up and gathered for Rosh Hashanah, the first part of the Jewish New Year that culminates this Saturday with the fast of Yom Kippur.  

The days in between these holidays—known as the Days of Awe—are meant for reflection and repentance. It is a window where we ask for mercy, not just from the heavens but of our fellow humans. This grace period has never felt more important than now.